Our Latest Podcasts

Kyle Willoughby and Claire White have finally finished season four of the Netflix Original Series, Black Mirror, so it’s time to discuss television’s most provocative science fiction. Kyle begins by positing that at its heart, Black Mirror is not simply an anthology of cautionary tales, but rather a modern fairy tale that replaces magic with science. Claire discusses show runner, Charlie Brooker’s life and career before the show, and describes how his “addiction” to game shows eventually led him to create a modern day Twilight Zone. Our hosts conclude with their thoughts on the series, its emotional effect, and it’s surprising accessibility.

Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire is the 2017 Hugo Award Winner for best Novella. Kyle Willoughby and Claire White are happy to take another recommendation from the Hugo’s and plunge into the first book of the Wayward Children series. Claire begins by exploring the genre of “portal fantasy” and describes both its ancient origins as well the many modern works that have followed Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Kyle takes a look at the prolific career of the author, Seanan McGuire, and explains the process by which great works of fantasy and science fiction win Hugos. Our hosts conclude with their thoughts on the book, the appeal of portal fantasy, and the worlds they wish to escape too.

Kyle Willoughby, Claire White and James Fouhey come together for the first time in DSRA history to look back at their top three episode topics of 2017. Their choices range from comedy-horror TV shows, to science fiction movies, to fantasy-steampunk comics. Our hosts conclude with a quiz to determine who paid the most attention over the past year and who gets a free lunch.

Kyle Willoughby and Claire White give a quick preview of their most anticipated topics of 2018, from Philip K. Dick inspired tv shows and A Wrinkle in Time, to video games they’re hoping will finally be released. (Looking at you, Red Dead Redemption 2!) Happy New Year, everyone!

Oathbringer is the third installment in Brandon Sanderson’s Stormlight Archive series. Claire White and Kyle Willoughby have been waiting to talk about this book since they started DSRA, and it’s finally arrived!! To celebrate they are joined by Ian McNatt and Eric Lake from 17thShard.com and Shardcast, the official Brandon Sanderson fansite and its podcast. Kyle leads off by discussing Japanese Kami and their similarities to the “spren” in the book. Claire then goes through Sanderson’s career, from his early rejections to being chosen to finish Robert Jordan’s ‘Wheel of Time’ series. Eric and Ian break down the Cosmere (the universe Sanderson created) and how his other works/series fit into it. The show concludes with everyone’s thoughts on the books, their favorite characters and which Sanderson work they recommend starting with.

The Runaways is a new Hulu series based on the characters created by Brian K. Vaughan for Marvel Comics. The showrunners, Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, are the former creators of The OC and Gossip Girl. Claire uses this opportunity to take a look at the history of teen dramas in televison and film. Kyle discusses the creative thinking behind the original comic as well as Marvel’s goals in publishing such a diverse and female driven story. Our hosts conclude with their thoughts on both the show and the comic.